


Enemies, but occasionally more

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Enemies, Execution, F/M, Family Feels, Gallifrey, Gen, Grandparent Graham O'Brien, Implied Relationships, Nobody dies don't panic, Protective Master, Season/Series 12, Secrets, Soft Thirteenth Doctor, Suicidal Thoughts, The Doctor & The Master (Doctor Who) Friendship, Thirteenth Doctor Era, mentions of past companions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:47:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22960438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: The Doctor receives a distress call, and she knows she cannot ignore him, despite what is going on around them
Relationships: The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who), Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 285





	1. Execution

‘We’ve got a distress call.’ The Doctor didn’t bother to explain any more, soothing the TARDIS as she piloted it in the direction needed. Yaz was the first to the console, a bright smile on her face, as usual. Excitement, that was the thing about humans, they rarely saw the danger until it was too late. This moment, this distress call, it might be the point where her fam realised the danger they were in travelling with her.

She had tried so hard to shield them from the truth. To keep them from hearing the tales of her, the Last Time Lord, the Destroyer, the creature that single-handedly destroyed entire species. Just because she wore a female form now, didn’t mean that people were underestimating her. Well, humans might in the time that Yaz, Graham and Ryan were from, but that didn’t bother her too much. She usually did what she wanted anyway.

‘Cool, anything exciting?’ Yaz was leaning on the TARDIS, watching as she flew them through space, and the Doctor was pleased to see her so relaxed. So trusting, of a person that couldn’t explain where they were from. The Doctor took a moment to capture the expressions on their faces, to remember them like this, before they realised what she was about to do, when they found out more about her than she ever wanted them to know.

‘Don’t tell me, alien invasion. No, some far away planet. A warzone?’ Ryan looked like a child at Christmas, something that the Doctor found endearing. All three of her companions were like that, the want to see the Universe combining with her desire not to be lonely. Three companions, that took her back a while, long before she wore this face. It stung, the memory of her previous companions, some more than others.

‘An execution.’ A small silence fell, filled only by the whirring of the engines, while the group processed what she had said.

‘Alright, Doc, what’s the plan?’ Graham seemed unconcerned by the fact she had just told them they were going to witness an execution, unfazed by the words. The Doctor found herself looking down to the console, wishing she didn’t have to do this, wishing there was another way. But it had been urgent, and she didn’t have time to drop the others back. Not for something like this.

‘The planet is called Ymar. The people there, they’re priests. Don’t speak to them, don’t disturb them, and whatever happens,’ She paused, landing the TARDIS and listening to the familiar sound, ‘Don’t try and get in the way.’

**

She did hate running, but this time, speed was of the essence. Behind her, the fam had managed to catch up, running across the sandy terrain with difficulty. It reminded her slightly too much of Gallifrey to be comfortable, itching away at her mind as she reached the site. It didn’t take long to deduce the situation, who was in charge, and the issues she might have getting everyone out of here.

‘Speak your name! What reason have you for interrupting this execution?’ The High Priest, the one with the scroll and the gun tucked into the belt, was the one she focused on. Not the person kneeling in the sand, a bag over their head, ready to be shot. Around the High Priest, eight other creatures stood, and she could tell that her companions were slightly put-off by the skin colour. An orange-shade, combined with the sharp, pointed teeth, not something that she wanted to get on the wrong side of.

‘The Doctor. And my companions, Yaz, Graham and Ryan.’ She saw the slightest twitch from the knelt form, felt the familiar warmth inside her head at the presence. This had happened before, and it still got to her how she tried so hard to protect.

‘Your reasoning for being here?’ The Priest had paused, looking away from the scroll, and the Doctor took a step forwards.

‘As a Time Lord, Lady, I have the right to be on the deciding body of the fate of one of my own.’ She snapped the words, briefly looking down, then back to the Priest. He didn’t appear impressed with her statement, hand moving slowly towards the weapon.

‘Why would you, The Doctor, save the like of him? He brings nothing but destruction, chaos, and death.’ Another step closer, aware that the Priests did not look impressed with how forward she was being.

‘If you’ve read your history books, you’ll know that I do the same. What are the charges?’ How had he managed to get himself in such a pickle? She could have found it amusing, had he not been causing them both issues currently.

‘The death of an innocent village, the destruction of everything within it.’ Interesting, what did he want with a village on this planet? Another of the endless questions that she’d ask, once they were out of this situation.

‘That only constitutes one single blow of the weapon, correct?’ She eyed up the gun, never had been a fan of them, but knew well enough how one would work. Convenient, because she was about to do something stupid. The Priest reached for the Hood of the kneeling Time Lord, yanking it off. Behind her, she heard the surprise from her fam, knew how confused they were.

‘Yes.’ He simply answered, readying the weapon. The Master was looking at her, a manic gaze that she knew she’d be compelled to, even before getting caught in it. Time was running out, they were ready to shoot, and the Doctor had made her mind up.

‘Then, by Gallifrain law, I take the punishment instead.’

Several things happened at once. The first was the Master’s cry of protest, the shout for her not to do something so stupid. The second was for the gun to be raised, and the third, was the movement of one of the Priests to prevent her friends from running.

The shot fired, hit her straight in the chest, and for a moment, there was no pain. Just a sinking sensation, alike to being lost at sea. The manacles holding the Master in place were gone, and he caught her long before her body hit the sand.

**

He growled at the humans that came rushing forwards, too busy holding onto his Doctor as she slumped in his arms, eyes already hazy and confused. The Priests were leaving, apparently unbothered by the fact they had just killed the Guardian of the Universe, and if he hadn't been holding her, he’d have shot them.

‘Heal yourself, you fool.’ He snapped, shook her slightly, waited for the familiar glow. But when nothing happened, he realised that she wasn’t going to regenerate. Not without a little persuasion.

‘Where’s the TARDIS?’ The humans looked baffled, but he didn’t spare them time, scooping her up and carrying her in the direction they had come from.

‘S’bright, n’hot.’ The Doctor slurred, squinting up while he kept the pace, the human girl coming to his side to check on the Doctor, while the older male kept asking if she was going to be alright. Honestly, how she dealt with these idiots, he didn’t know. The familiar blue box was a welcome sign, he could have cried with relief, looked down to find her brown eyes gazing up at him.

‘L’me go.’ He knew she had a death wish, somewhere deep down, but he didn’t expect her to openly say it.

‘Hold on, love, you’ll be alright in a minute. Then we can go back to hating each other, yes?’ She pressed a hand to her stomach, and when it came back red, she looked surprised.

‘My heart’s’not beating.’ Oh, well, that was an issue. She could survive on one heart for a bit, which he told the humans when they looked panicked, before reaching the door. He didn’t need to go fishing for her key, took the one from his own pocket and unlocked the door.

‘Where are we going?’ The girl was back, and he was actually thankful to have someone to stay by the Doctor’s side as he went to the console. The TARDIS seemed pleased to see him at this specific moment, no doubt because the Doctor was in trouble.

‘Gallifrey. It can amplify regeneration abilities.’ He didn’t point out that Gallifrey was destroyed, it wouldn’t make sense to them.

‘Everyone’s dead.’ The Doctor blearily stated, head lolling to the side slightly. He looked across to her, saw the pain reflected back in her expressive eyes. Yaz, that was the name of the girl by her side, was holding her while the boy, Ryan, tried to stem the blood flow. Graham was standing protectively by their side, glaring at the Master with a look that made him chuckle.

The TARDIS made a complaining sound, and while he tried to soothe it, the damned thing had the audacity to bleep at him.

‘Ridiculous, I swear the only one that could pilot this thing was that wife of yours.’ The Master realised, perhaps slightly too late, that the humans had not known about the wife, all of them looking at him in shock.

‘She’s dead.’ The Doctor helpfully added, her blood-loss really affecting the filter, and the Master actually felt pity. He knew what it was to love.

‘Yes, well, you had a good run. Now stop bleeding, we’re almost there.’

‘There all dead.’ The Master didn’t have companions. Not like the Doctor did.

‘Amy, n’Rory, Bill, Clara.’ He left the console to go to her side, the girl moving out of the way so he could crouch down.

‘Hush, love, you’ll be alright soon.’ Her face was so pale, and she looked so fragile in that moment. He cradled her gently, watched her eyes for any signs of discomfort, knew that she had to be struggling with only one heart working.

‘My name. Y’never say m’name.’ He shot a glare to the humans, who backed off slightly, letting him lean in to whisper it, just quietly. It made her smile, momentarily, a flicker of amusement across her face.

‘Bad enemies.’ That he could agree with, the thump as the TARDIS landed giving him the warning needed to lift her back up. The humans moved around him, reaching for the door, and he kicked it open slightly too harshly.

‘Oh my god.’ Ignoring them was simple, he had to focus on her.

Lying her down gently, softly laying her head down onto the sand, he moved his hand to the wound.

‘Deep breath, you know how this goes.’ His hand began to glow, the energy stitching back the skin, kicking her own reflexes in. Against her will, he thought, watching her struggle against it.

‘Easy, let it happen. You’d think by your fourteenth face that you’d be used this.’ The Doctor gave a weak laugh, placed her hand over his as her body arched into the touch, the golden glow spreading. His other hand moved to her second heart, sought out the familiar rhythm, smiled when he found it.

‘We’re so lonely.’ She mumbled, still evidently suffering from blood loss, and the Master indulged in the moment. After all, it wasn’t often they stopped being enemies, and when it happened…

‘Lonely together. The last of our kind. What enemies we make.’ He tried to keep it together in front of the humans, but the Doctor was his weak-point, her smile made everything crumble.

‘Together.’ She agreed, looking to the broken Citadel of Gallifrey, while he turned his head so she wouldn’t see the tear tracking down his face.

‘Almost healed, love.’ He could see the colour returning to her cheeks, felt the humans behind him relax, although they were still staring out at the broken remains of his home planet.

‘Do I get a thank-you?’ She joked, a moment of rare enjoyment between them. Despite the humans being here, despite the fact that they were supposed to be in the middle of one of their most legendary fights, he still cupped the back of her head and drew her up, his lips closing over hers. Her hand moved from her chest to his shirt, tugging him just a little closer, before releasing.

She looked exhausted, tired beyond belief, and the Master found himself yet again stroking aside her hair.

‘Sleep, love, you’ll be back in the TARDIS when you wake.’

‘Will you be there?’ She asked, fighting a yawn, and the Master hesitated. It was already becoming too much, he had stepped far over the boundary they both stuck to.

‘Sleep.’ He didn’t give her the chance to argue, sent just a little bit of energy down the link they shared, knocking her into the sleep she kept fighting against.

When he looked to her companions, he had never seen such a confused bunch. It made him want to smile, but all he could think about was the fact she had just taken a bullet for him, and had been ready to die.

‘I’ll take her to her room.’


	2. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Master's answers are cryptic, and the fam worry about the Doc

The fam were all confused. The three of them stood in the main room of the TARDIS, the engine humming happily to reassure them that everything was fine. They may have a man onboard that tried to kill them, that gave all three of them nightmares, but it was okay. Because he had just saved the Doctor, and was now leaning on the console, staring at the TARDIS with a look that would border on concern.

‘Is she alright?’ Yaz asked, the most nervous around the Master, but the one that had the confidence to voice the question. She was startled when he jumped slightly, like he had forgotten they were there, and looked across.

‘It takes more than that to kill a Time Lord.’ That phrase again. Time Lord. They had never pushed the Doctor for answers on what she was, on who she might be. They knew she had been a male in the past, but the Master had mentioned fourteen faces. Fourteen different people, yet the same person. To say they were baffled was an understatement.

‘Is that what you are, Time Lords?’ Ryan, inspired by the Master’s answer to the question, was the one to ask the next.

‘Evidently.’ The Master remarked, shutting the conversation down by turning away, resting against the console. The TARDIS made a sound at that, the three of them shocked by it, where as the Master just seemed amused. He stroked along the edge of one of the panels, a touch that looked almost gentle, just like they had seen before. When the Master had kissed the Doctor. And the Doctor hadn't pulled away.

‘Easy, I’ll be gone soon.’ He was speaking to the TARDIS, they realised, just like the Doctor did when she was alone, or sometimes when they were there. Yaz was the one to spot the object in his pocket, and she couldn’t help but protest.

‘Why do you have the Doctor’s sonic?’ The Master spun, and for a moment, Yaz regretted ever asking. The look in his eyes, the anger, the manic glint that they had missed upon first arrival. It was gone, tampered down, and his fingers closed around the sonic like they belonged there.

‘There are so many things you can’t understand. You’re too… human.’ Being with the Doctor, they sometimes forgot that she was, in fact, an alien. She looked like them, spoke like them, and besides from being a bit eccentric, she acted like them as well. But now, in this moment, the Master was pointing out the obvious. The fam were human, whereas those two were Time Lords.

‘I thought you were enemies.’ Graham pointed out, and the Master chuckled, looking almost… fond.

‘We are. Classmates, enemies, the last of our species.’ Yaz had seen it, Gallifrey. It hadn't been what she had expected. Suddenly, all of the Doctor’s fear made sense. The way she shut down conversations about her home, the lack of excitement of talking of her past. There were things they could never know, that was clear from the mention of companions that she had previously had.

‘You didn’t look like enemies.’ Ryan pointed out, and the Master moved towards them so quickly that Yaz stumbled back, the railing hitting her mid-back as she tried to put distance between them.

‘You cannot possibly understand what it’s like, to have nobody else.’ Hissed, spat with such venom, the three of them huddled under his glare.

Then, just like that, it was gone. His eyes grew softer, face lost the tight-lipped snarl that had been present moments before.

‘She’s awake.’ They didn’t question how he knew it, not when they had seen some of the mind-tricks the Doctor could perform. They hadn't ever seen the Doctor’s room didn’t even know where it was, but it made sense that she had one.

‘Where are we?’ The Doctor came walking out, void of her long coat, hair slightly messy and her eyes tired. The Master strode away from them, to come to her side and move the screen to face her like they had done this hundreds of times.

‘Drifting, at the moment. I did consider dropping the humans off…’

‘They have names. Use them.’ The Doctor snapped, a display of strength that vanished as soon as it had appeared. Maybe temperamental mood-swings were a Time-Lord thing.

‘I did consider dropping off Yasmin, Graham and Ryan,’ The Master continued, sneering their names to show the dislike, ‘But they seemed quite adamant to stay.’ Another look shared, something Yaz couldn’t recognise. The Doctor looked back to the screen, looking a lot older than her face suggested, before turning back to him.

‘You should go. Spending time together… it messes things up.’ The Master’s face flickered with something, before he reached out for her. Surprisingly, just like yesterday, the Doctor didn’t pull away. The hand that rested against her cheek, she leaned into it, letting her eyes flick shut.

‘Call for me if you need.’ If Yaz hadn't known better, she’d have called the touch a lover’s touch. Then again, did she really know them? The way the Master looked at the Doctor, like she was everything to him, yet nothing at the same time? The way the Doctor flicked her eyes open, only to smile up at him with something bordering on affection.

‘When do I ever call?’ He chuckled, ducked his head and pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead, before pulling back.

The change was instantaneous. He straightened, adjusted his jacket, his face dropped to the same one that haunted Yaz in her deepest sleep. The Doctor did the same, face losing the warmth and emotion that had been written across her tired face. Like it was a game they had played hundreds, no, thousands of times.

‘You should watch out. Gallifrey falling wasn’t what it seemed.’ The Master moved his sleeve back, revealing some sort of watch-device that looked like something the Doctor had created, stored down under the console.

‘Get out of my TARDIS.’ The Doctor snapped back, only the slightest twitch at the corner of her mouth, suggesting she wasn’t as angry as the statement implied.

‘Here.’ He threw something, the sonic, and she caught it easily. With that, he winked, and then vanished.

‘I guess you’ve got some questions.’ Yaz looked to the Doctor, to the woman she trusted with her life, and could have laughed. She didn’t have questions, not right now, just one that she wanted answered.

‘Are you okay?’ And then the Doc smiled, back to the Doctor they knew, and everything seemed like it might be alright, for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments!!!! It was great to hear from so many of you :)

**Author's Note:**

> Would you guys want another Chapter? What would you want to see?
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


End file.
